Report of Drs. Nelson and MacDonnell, and Zephirin Perrault, Esq., advocate, of the Québec, Marine and Emigrant Hospital.

  • Nelson, Wolfred, 1791-1863.
Date:
1853
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Report of Drs. Nelson and MacDonnell, and Zephirin Perrault, Esq., advocate, of the Québec, Marine and Emigrant Hospital. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the National Library of Medicine (U.S.), through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the National Library of Medicine (U.S.)

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    fessional qualifications, were calculated lo engender ihe worst feeling amongst the senior and junior members of the medical staff. Ii would appear that Dr. Douglas wished, by making resistance in the beginning, to prevent any of ihe newly-appointed Physicians taking any part in the management of the surgical cases, for whose care and trealmenl he considered himself'as alone qualified. The position thus assumed by Dr. Douglas might to some extern- be ex- cused, were we ignorant of the fact, that he himself had aided in the selection of these gentlemen, and if they were unfitted for ihe duties of the office they were about to assume, it did not display on his part, a marked interest in the welfare and utility of the establishment to have made such a selection, provided his objection were well founded. Ibii, it does not appear that these gentlemen were devoid of experience or unaccustomed to the responsibility of Hospital practice, for three of them, Drs. Sewell, Blanchet and Nault had 'been attendants upon the Hotel Dieu for up- wards of ten years, and in common with Drs. Jackson, Rowand, Kobitaille and Hall, had acquired a large share of public confidence and public patronage, and as a body of practitioners were well qualified to discharge the duties enlrusted to them by the Executive. We need not point out to Your Excellency, that in all well regulated Institu- tions similar to the Marine and Emigrant Hospital, no matter how strenuously a candidate may be opposed by the existing members of the Medical Staff, if he suc- ceed in procuring admission, he is met with cordiality and friendship, all past strife is forgotten, and every effort made to uphold his professional qualifications, and protect his reputation against any unjust assaults that may be directed against them. But in the instance now under consideration, we find a gentleman, at the head of a large public Institution, entrusted by the Government of the country with the nomination of a number of practitioners to be associated with himself in the per- formance of highly responsible duties, and who is so regardless of the trust reposed in him or so indifferent as to the manner in which it is discharged, as to nominate gentlemen whom he subsequently stated to be unqualified for those duties. Your Commissioners would wish to put this construction upon Dr. Douglas' conduct, but a careful examination of the documents laid before them, as well as an analysis of the evidence furnished by the witnesses examined by them, prevents them forming such an opinion. They cannot conceal from themselves the fact, that Dr. Douglas wished to retain to himself the whole of the surgical practice of the Hospital, and domineering over the newly appointed Tl^'sicians as he was accustomed to do over the inferior officers of the establishment in former years. They cannot allow this part of their report to be terminated, without directing Your Excellency's attention to the very insulting expressions made use of by Dr. Douglas at the first meeting of the increased Staff, to the words of which all the witnesses testify. He then stated to his new- colleagues, that he would as soon let a bull into a china shop, as allow one of them into his surgical wards. No difference in professional standing, no supe- riority in-'experience, skill and learning, and no inequality of reputation, could warrant the use of such language—were all other causes of discontent removed, this reception of the newly appointed gentlemen, was quite sufficient to account for the quarrels and heart-burnings that have since existed. It is no excuse for the use of such language, that Dr. Douglas was already at the head of the surgical part of the profession in Quebec, and that some of his col- leagues where as yet unknown to fame ; he should have recollected that no greater difference existed in their re pective relations, than between the senior Surgeon of a European Hospital and his newly appointed colleague, and that it was not possi- ble to have selected from the profession of Quebec, six Surgeons of equal eminence with himself; moreover, he must have been aware that some of those who accepted office did so for the sake of the surgical practice afforded by the Hospital, and which